SpaceX’s Starship reached orbital velocity for the first time on Monday, a milestone for the company’s 124-metre (407-foot) rocket after a series of test flights that ended in explosions or followed suborbital paths.
The upper stage separated from the Super Heavy booster and reached an altitude of 277 kilometers. It achieved speeds exceeding 26,300 kilometers per hour, reaching orbit about 26 minutes after launch from a base in Texas in the United States.
Starship carried 26 of the latest and most advanced Starlink satellites. Deployment began within minutes of the spacecraft reaching orbit. The rocket is described as the largest and most powerful ever built.
The flight was Starship’s 14th full-scale launch from Texas in three years. Earlier tests had gone no farther than the Indian Ocean, while several ended in explosions, including over the Caribbean. SpaceX salvaged the last Starship from the Indian Ocean in July.
One of Starship’s engines shut down too soon during Monday’s flight. The reason for the shutdown and its effect on the mission were not known from the information available.
The planned mission was due to last almost 10 hours and complete six orbits. The upper stage was intended to finish with a Pacific splashdown near Chile. The first-stage booster was meant to fall into the Gulf of Mexico within minutes of liftoff. It remained unclear whether the spacecraft completed those planned stages or all of its objectives.
The launch also marked the first flight carrying the advanced Starlink satellites. There are 11,000 older Starlink satellite models already providing internet service.
The result comes ahead of NASA’s Artemis III mission, which is coming up as soon as next summer. Artemis IV is slated for no sooner than 2028. Monday’s orbital milestone establishes that Starship’s upper stage reached orbit, though it does not by itself establish whether the vehicle is ready for crewed or lunar missions.
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